Bronx workers were hoping Monday for a 'yes' vote from the state Senate with regards to the minimum wage bill and that's what they got.

By a 51-7 vote, the Republican-controlled Senate agreed to override Governor Pataki's veto on the measure. The minimum wage will now go from $5.15 per hour to $7.15. It will be increased to $6 an hour beginning January 1 and will gradually increase each subsequent year. By 2007, the minimum wage will be $7.15.

Bronx workers who currently earn minimum wage were hoping the bill passed because of the increasing cost of such items as heat and gas.